Peace

All posts in the Peace category

Well, I am human, at least my physical form says I am…But that’s a deeper story and one I won’t go into now 🙂

I am 1 person living on Planet Earth, I am one of 7.5 Billion souls on this planet today, I live in a city of 25 Million souls, each with their own thoughts, personality, set of behaviours, religious and political belief systems​, cultural style & belief​, race, gender, sexual preference, education level etc…So, what is it I have to offer Humanity?

Well, I can offer Humanity my love, my compassion, my voice and my light…All these things I can give…Freely!..I have no agenda, no reason other than to help spread the word of love through my own light and my own personal voice..

I want​ to share my love with all who are willing to listen and to receive​, there is no agenda or recompense​ required, I just want to speak out and to give you my love 🙂

Our world is filled with beautiful souls, many of which stand on the rooftops and shout out for all to hear, there​ are also many who want to stand on the rooftops and shout out; but they are fearful of being shot down in flames, held back with a fear of retaliation​ against what they are saying or trying to share with our world, with humanity! Many of these gentle souls are hounded by trolls on the internet, receiving bad comments, taunted into cyber arguments; all because of their openness and passion fondness to share their love with humanity!…

My Dear Freinds, we are living in a world where nothing is perfect and there is no ‘cookie cutter’ template or fix for humanity, we are all one, we are all from the same one source, we are one in humanity we are ‘ IN THIS TOGETHER!’..Life, living life and loving life is subject to personal choice and how we choose to live our life is personal to each and every one of us…

I am only 1, but I promise you, I will ‘ALWAYS’ do my best for humanity, for our environment and for our planet, because I only have this life (well maybe not only this life, but again that’s​ a different story and subject to personal belief again 🙂 ).

So, here I am on Friday 20th November 2015 saying to you…

I give you my Love and My Light, Please share with others as I am sure there are many souls out there that would love to receive​ the love and light from you too 🙂

Is the picture on the right too far fetched and impossible for us to achieve?…No! I firmly believe that it is possible for us to achieve, and for some of our readers, I am sure they actually live a life that is somewhat similar to that picture!…..But, unfortunately, this is not the case for the majority living in our world today!

Is the picture on the left a joke?…Or, is it a reality of many places in our world today?……Can we make the change from living on the left side of this picture; to actually living on the right side of this picture?….Yes!…Hell Yes!

As you know, I am a peace loving kind guy, I do my best each day to share positivity, love, peace and respect to all people of our world, I hold out my hands in support of just cause, I share my love in the hope that one day I can really help make a difference to one person’s life, and they in turn help someone else…And on and on it goes…

This is my dream, a dream in which we can wake up and realise the realities of life, the realities of what is really going on in our world, not just what we see with our own eyes, what is going on in front of our faces, in our own neighbourhood.. but what is going on all around the world…Because, my dear friends, life is not so wonderful and so rosy for many millions of our fellow humans all around the world!

Isn’t that the truth?…Is poverty, famine, greed, war, disease, injustice in our world only God’s problem?

Should we wait for him/her to deal with it for us, or, should we stand up and be counted?…..Actually get up off our butt’s and do something about the problems in our world!

We are after all, guardians of this planet, guardians for our future, for the future of our children. We all have an obligation to take ownership of what goes on in our world, we are all part of humanity, we are all part of the problem and the possible solution….We are stronger than we think, we can do something about these problems and issues, we can make change, we can stop greed, we can stop injustice, we can stop starvation, we can ALL make a difference and change the future….

We are but a grain of sand amongst billions of other grains of sand, but we are all ‘One’, we all come from the same seed of creation and we owe it to ourselves, to our brothers and sisters of humanity, we owe it to our ancestors, we owe it to our children, we owe it to our grandchildren, we owe it to OURSELVES!

Today is the day for you to sit up, look in the mirror and say “I am part of the problem and, I am part of the solution’ and ‘I can make a difference to this world, our world’..

Go on my friends, do a pledge to yourself, stand up and be counted and be a part of the change you want to see in this ‘Our’ world 🙂 Then go out and actually do something! Join a peace group, help out in a homeless shelter, sign a petition, stop using a product or buying food, drink or fuel from the companies that are polluting our planet, poisoning our children, draining our natural water systems, taking advantage of low wages and not paying their taxes. Stand up for yourself, for your family, for your future 🙂

“The more we know, the more ignorant we become…and, it is only through enlightenment that we become conscious of our limitations”…..Tesla was right!

Education and the further knowledge that we gain through daily experience, ‘What does it do for us’? Does it awaken us to the realities of our world, does it make us STOP and THINK about some of the critical issues facing humanity and our planet right now?……Hardly!

A new day brings our own selfish reasons to put our heads down and follow the masses, keep on the straight and narrow road that we have been TOLD to follow since birth, the education, the career, the family, the friends, the religion….we just keep on walking, keeping our heads down as if it will be ok in the end,…. RIGHT?…..WRONG!

If we want change in our world, we must stand up and do something, if we want to stop wars, WE need to do something, even sharing your thoughts with the world sets you apart from the majority, holding out your hand to someone in need sets you apart from the majority, joining a local group to help feed the homeless sets you apart from the majority, standing up and against GMO, Fracking or drilling in the Arctic sets you apart from the majority…Whatever you do HELPS…

It is about time that we came to the conclusion that there should not be a ‘Us and Them’ in our world, after all we are all humans and we all come from the same genes! Yes, we have different colours, languages, religions, belief systems and cultures, we live in different parts of the world, eat different foods but at the end of the day…We are all humans!…..

So, 2,000 and 15 years since the death of Christ and we are still waging wars, we are still trying to get one up on each other, we lie, cheat, steal from each other and we kill and maim each other in the belief that ‘We’ are best, ‘We’ are number 1….but as I said earlier, ‘we are all humans’ and it is about time that we came to realise that we should be in this together because there is only ‘1 Humanity’ and there is only ‘1 World’…So…

9.11…. 14 years ago, A day still etched in may peoples minds, the day we saw hatred go to another level, the day in which so many innocent people lost their lives for no other reason other than hatred.

9.11, let us pray collectively as human beings, as brothers and sisters of humanity, from different countries, cultures, colours and religious beliefs, let’s today come together as one and pray that their lives were not lost in vain, and pray for world peace, for the coming together in ‘Oneness’ against terrorism, against hatred, against political or religious power or control.

Lets do as the monks did in Bangkok (picture below) After the bombing in Bangkok, Buddhists are changing the energy on the bombing site through meditation and prayer, proving that love is greater than hate. meditate and pray for peace.

I don’t know what’s got a hold of me since i’ve been away, maybe it was the quietness of my retreat, the contact with nature, time on my own to reflect and be thankful for all I have in my life, who knows but it’s great to be back and thinking again 🙂

I was up early again this morning, jet lag has been far worse than normal this time and has been playing havoc with my sleep patterns 😦 Still, it does also have its blessings as being awake so early gives me time to just sit, to be at one with myself and to reflect and think. This morning’s topic was ‘Peace’ and what does that word really mean to me? It conjours up to sides for me, one is the obvious ‘world peace’ where all countries come together in harmony and bring about an end to conflicts between different cultures, religions and countries then the other is being ‘at peace’, peace within myself/yourself.

I don’t think many people actually find peace with themselves, they are always chasing around looking for something more for their lives, more money, a better job, bigger house, bigger car, a holiday, more clothes, a fancy watch, diamond ring, more education, just more and then more, also seeking happiness where ever they go, meeting new friends, going out more, socialising, building a dream, looking for love, looking for acceptance, looking for praise, looking and looking outside, a constant journey seeking out happiness and peace….but the reality is you wont find it outside, you wont find it in things, you wont find it in your travels, you wont find it in a bigger house or a new job or a new relationship…….

Happiness and peace are within…..

And once you come to terms with that then you can let go, you can free yourself of the chains that hold you back, you can become one with yourself, you can start to love yourself and find your true self, your happiness and your inner peace.

Take time out today my friends, take time to just be you, take time to sit with yourself and just be the wonderful you 🙂

For most of us we think it is simply the love between two human beings, love of a partner, a husband, wife, child or friend but unconditional love is actually much more than that, it transpires the relationship between two human beings into the realms of love that are sadly missing from our daily lives, our relationships between religions, our relationships between countries, our relationships between race, colour and creed. Most of the conflicts in our relationships arise because of our greed, our desires and our expectations, and, when both parties are selfish and self-centered, they do not remain in a relationship for long as the suffering becomes greater, distance comes about until total separation is the end result. The ideal relationship is that which is based upon mutual unconditional love and respect. It is as difficult as finding an ideal saintly human being upon earth. We cannot practice it if we have desires and expectations and if we are guided by fear, egoism, greed and self-interest.

We may study scriptures and participate in intellectual debates, but it will serve no purpose if we do not have a loving heart. We may judge others based on the religious morality we learn. But it is of no use in our own spiritual development, if we do not follow it ourselves and validate it based upon our own experience. Religious dogma is not meant to develop a blind following, but rather a deep curiosity to search for truth.
Unconditional love or our infinite innate capacity to love others unconditionally, can take us beyond the mortal plane into the realm of the immortal gods. When you go beyond desire-ridden judgments and selfish expectations and accept people and things with love and compassion, you earned the right to reach the abode of God. When you do not act with moral superiority and religious prejudice, you become a source of love and healing to others.

As human beings, we all have our weaknesses. We are incapable of exhibiting the virtuous qualities of God in our ordinary selves. However, our weaknesses and imperfections can be overcome if we strive to transcend our lower nature with abundant faith and love in God and cultivate the single most important virtue of unconditional love. Unconditional love can arise only in a mind that is truly detached, that has no preference and is established in equanimity and oneness.

Therefore, bring love into your life and radiate it unconditionally, like a flower radiates its fragrance, by cultivating detachment and equanimity of the mind. Accept everything that comes into your life as part of your divine creation and as a part of your destiny. Build relationships not for mutual satisfaction of wants and desires, but for the sake of unconditional love, without expecting anything in return.

First, practice it towards those whom you may harbor negativity and resentment of those whom you find difficult to forgive. Learn to forgive them and let go of your feelings of hurt and indignation. Then gradually spread the same attitude towards one and all. As part of your practice, you should radiate your love in your daily life towards one and all, and try to be forgiving and helpful. If you start practicing these suggestions, slowly you develop a compassionate heart, which will open the doors of God’s unconditional love to you.

If you look carefully, most things in creation already practice unconditional love. It is usually humans who have difficulty in practicing it because we are the subjects of freewill, desires and attachment. A tree does not choose whom to give its fruit. It is we who build a fence around it. A well does not choose whom to give water. A river does not choose whose boat it will carry. A flower does not choose to whom it will spread its fragrance. The sun and moon do not choose to whom to radiate their warmth and light.

God’s unconditional love manifests when we silence our desires and suspend our judgment. Both are difficult to practice. When they are absent, God’s love manifests itself. It is in the silent heart of a Buddhist Monk, an Ascetic Yogi, Priest, Pastor, Cleric, Brahman, holy person that the unconditional love wells up.

Universal Love….

Every religion in the world today talks about love, peace and harmony, to love your brothers and sisters, to do good unto men

The only love worthy of a name is unconditional.

The only way love can last a lifetime is if it’s unconditional. The truth is this: love is not determined by the one being loved but rather by the one choosing to love.

Intense love does not measure, it just gives.

Love is the doorway through which the human soul passes from selfishness to service.

Where there is great love there are always miracles.

Where there is love there is life.

Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.” St. Augustine

Love is life…and if you miss love, you miss life.

Universal love gives without expecting anything back.

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the Children of God. 1 John 3:1

Greater love has no one than this, that he laid down his life for his friends. John 15:13

God is love, and he who lives in love, lives in God and God in him 1 John 4:14

God loves you no matter who you are. He will cover you within his feathers. Under his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalm 91:4

These is only one love that loves unconditionally-The love of the Divine.

Love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on it’s own way, it is not irritable or resentful, it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

God loves each of us as if there was only one of us- Augustine

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant. – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Love is the absence of judgment

Until he has unconditional and unbiased love for all beings, man will not find peace. – Buddha

The greatest gift you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance.

Go with unconditional love my friends, be the love and share the love with all beings.

Why Oh Why is it so easy to manufacture guns of death and sell them all around the world , when it is so difficult for these same governments to buy books and give them to our children?

Why Oh Why is it that making tanks, missiles, drones, land mines and war planes so easy but building a school is so difficult?

Great questions from Malala Yousafzai, such a young girl who has gone through so much torture and pain in her life.

It’s about time ‘WE’ collectively stood up and asked these questions of our so called politicians and governments, those very politicians and governments that we have voted for and elected into these positions of power, and push them for answers, real answers, not spin or delayed responses or sidetracked answers regarding jobs and the economy……or under the disguise of National Security…..

We need change in our world, we need collective change, change that can and will bring about peace in our lifetime, change that makes it safe for our children and the same change for children of mothers and fathers just like us in other countries all around the world ! …Don’t forget, we maybe from different countries, we may have different languages, cultures, colour of skin and religions but, …WE ARE ALL HUMAN BEINGS, we all want the same.

So for once, lets get together and push for PEACE and Education for ALL.

Do you have trouble with anger, or does your mind raise levels of hatred towards others? If so, then this short video from Mingyur Rinpoche may be useful for you and help you become aware of your anger, hatred and turn them into feelings of compassion and loving kindness.

A dear Chinese friend of mine asked me to explain ‘Energy’ to another Chinese friend last night…..’Wow’ ! I thought, how do I explain that one’ in one easy sentence 😦

I was slightly lucky because just at that moment these two lovely Chinese ladies were being harassed a little by a foreigner who was a little drunk, very loud, argumentative, highly non-empathetic and downright arrogant…I therefore had the perfect way to explain ‘Energy’ to this young lady who is going through some severe relationship problems at the moment. She had come out for the evening to meet with her friend in order to gain some help and hopefully some advice regarding her problems. I was just a bystander being asked to help, so here is what I said to this young lady…

‘Energy’, is something that some of us can feel but others cannot! You called your friend and asked her to meet you this evening in order for her to listen to your relationship troubles and hopefully help you with her advice, you called her because you trust her, she is quietly spoken, friendly and she listens to you, she will not judge you and she will hold your hand and be there for you, her ‘Energy’ is calm and you feel comfortable sharing these intimate problems with her, right? She nodded and said yes, I feel she can really help me :)…

I then turned to this foreigner and said to her, he is the opposite of your friend, you turn your back to him, your shoulders are rounded away from him, your head is down and you try to be as far away from him as possible, he is loud, he is aggressive, he is pushy towards you, he invades your personal space and only thinks of himself, you feel insecure and threatened by him, right? She nodded and said yes!…

His energy is bad, it is dark, it is forceful and he wants to control you, can you see the difference?…She immediately nodded her head and said yes with a smile, I said this is ‘Energy’… 🙂 and the difference between positive (happy) and negative (dark, threatening)

From that moment on, she opened up to her friend and to me and we were able to connect to her problems, the arrogant guy got the message and left us alone and at the end of the evening she went home feeling happier and carried with her a little love and positive energy from us both 🙂

I have read and also written many posts regarding ‘Letting Go’, letting go of the past, breaking free from the chains that bind you down and hold you back from enjoying your life and reaching your full potential. These chains, shackles from the past can be of different sorts, they can be relationships, family, work based, life experiences, traumatic events, abuse etc but in the end they are all the same in their effect on your life. Never a day goes by without your mind relating to these past events or experiences, or thinking about ways in which you can change the past, re-connect with the person who grieves you, wishing they would be loving towards you, these experiences conjure up many awful thoughts and bad memories in your mind, they take over your life and effect everything you try to do. For the majority of us we push on with our lives and hope we will feel better, we try to mend the past through the things we try to do in the ‘now’ and also plan things for the future that we hope will take away the pain and make amends for these past experiences which have had so much of a negative effect on our life.

I too have had my own fair share of burdens in this life time, and I’m sure many others in previous lives too, I try to think positively most of the time (highlight on ‘most’ 🙂 ) but those nagging memories just come back time and time again, they continue to bring our morale down and control our lives in the ‘Now’….

So,…’Now’ is the time to take a real stance, it’s time to let go once and for all, to break the chains that shackle us down, that tie our wings to our bodies and restrict our flight.

We need to smile at the experience, the memory, at a picture of the person or re-connect to the past event and say goodbye, to wish them well and give thanks for the good things we now have in our lives, for all the love we have ‘right now’ and for all the love that is waiting for us on the other side of this experience, we need to break free from these chains, spread our wings and ‘FLY’ move on to pastures green, to a new life of positive possibilities, to live our lives as they should be lived without the burden and weight of these past events…’Now’ is where we should and need to be, always ‘Now’

If you are struggling with the past and need any help breaking free of these chains that hold you back, please reach out and I will be there for you, my sword at the ready breaking those chains that tie your wings my friends…

Well, the weekend is here again and I’m a little stuck for words, my mind is blank and I’m having difficulty thinking of ideas for inspirational posts! I guess it’s the old ‘writers block’, maybe my meditations are taking me to the point of total relaxation where absolutely nothing seems to pass through my mind…. or, maybe I just don’t have anything much to say!

This feeling of empty-ness worries me, I feel I owe you a post and when I cannot think of a subject to write about I do start to worry and I become a little anxious!…will I loose followers?, what will my friends think when I don’t post for a day?… and the anxiety becomes even worse if I don’t post for more than one day…

But then I relax and let my fingers do the walking, I introduced them to the keyboard and like magic they began to type, nothing in this post so far anyway has come from my mind, my fingers have just flowed around the keyboard doing a magical dance on the keys and this is what you’re reading right now…I have no idea of the theme, I have no idea what the title of this post will be and where the post will end up…I guess its just a few rambling words to you all, my blogging friends, friends from all around the world, friends of different races, religions, gender and age..but friends you are and I would miss not having you all in my life, you give me strength, you give me pleasure and sometimes I get to feel a sense of happiness when I hear that I have managed to help one of you get through a difficult time in your life.

For me blogging is not about finding followers, it’s not really about spirituality (although spirituality and my spiritual journey are very important to me), faith or religion…In my case its just the words and feelings from me, nothing special, just my thoughts on any given day, on any subject that I feel will bring you some joy, a post that may help you overcome a fear, guide you to a solution to a problem or maybe a video or music post that will bring a smile to your face.

Now, while I’m writing this post I too feel a sense of joy, because the words flowing from my finger tips are saying what is inside my heart, no thought has gone into these words and no pattern has been put together of the structure or the outcome, but the words are as I said from my heart, and to me that’s a great thing because I honestly believe that if we; as humans used our hearts to their full capacity of loving kindness each and every day, we would live in a world filled with love and peace…I know I cannot bring about world peace on my own through this humble blog but I do know that I can bring about change, I can make you smile, I can bring joy and a little happiness to your life even if only for the briefest moment in time, but time is the essence, time has no meaning so that smile that you have on your face right now is a blessing from God and hopefully brought to you from the words or pictures that I send you 🙂

So in essence I guess this post is about happiness, it is about loving kindness, it is about bringing about change in our lives, it is about helping others, it is about my own spiritual journey, it is about living life in the now, it is about caring, it is about humanity, it is about giving…….

Some days I sit and cry a little, I care passionately about our world, I care passionately about humanity, I care passionately about the environment and I wonder what more I can do to help those in need! Those tears then lead to meditation when I connect to my heart and I realise I can do more, do something simple, bring a smile to someones face, give thanks for what I have in my life and I feel good again, this feeling then brings about action…actions can be simple, they can be small and they can cost you nothing… but these actions will and do make a difference to someone or something in our world…so when ever you feel down…just stop…meditate, connect with your heart, give thanks for your life and give thanks for all you have in your life…this will lead you to open your eyes with a fresh view which will bring about change and you will do good, you will help someone, you will share a smile..and on and on the circle of loving kindness will go…

We come into this world, innocent, non defined, happy and open to all influences, good or bad…..Laughing generally gets knocked out of us during our childhood until we reach adulthood with a very serious demeanour and outlook on the rest of our life….But, if you are one of the lucky ones that continues to laugh, who carries a smile on your face then good luck to you and remember to share this happiness with others because smiling and laughter are infectious….

Go on, you know you want one…Reach out, close your eyes and feel the warmth of my hug, my arms around you, comforting you. It comes to you with my love and best wishes for a wonderful day filled with happiness, joy and peace wherever you are in this world 🙂

Our lives are so full of madness…time, the clock, rushing here, rushing there, eating while watching tv, reading the news, checking and responding to emails….working, parenting, relationships,’…their up’s and down’s…children and our fear for their future, challenges at work, career prospects, learning, financial difficulties….Is it all doom and gloom?….Only if you let it be!

I too have been a victim of all these things, my life has been filled with education, doing better, achieving more, working hard, working harder, working more hours, doing more of everything, wanting more of everything, buying for the sake of buying, mounting debt problems, children, the worries of being a parent, relationship challenges, divorce, grieving for the loss of loved ones, changing careers, re-educating myself, starting again, fighting to survive, living on the breadline, finding new love, emerging from the flames, being born again, awakening to the realities of life, becoming aware of what is important in life, caring from the heart, wanting to see change in our world, fighting for change, being frustrated that I cannot do enough, or make change happen overnight…an on; and on the cycle goes….So now what?…Where am I and what does the future hold?

Should I give up, should I buckle down and follow the pack, work every hour god sends, chase the dreams of others, or follow my heart, live in the ‘now’, do as ‘I’; my soul, my higher self wants?….

A dilemma felt by many….., choices…which way to go?…

The choice is yours, either be controlled or be in control….

I choose life, I choose to live in the now, to work in ‘Mindfulness’ of the other sometimes more important things in my life, for my family, for our future, for humanity, for our environment, for Mother Earth, for others less fortunate than I, I choose to serve for the betterment of my self, for my soul. My heart is now free, free to choose which way to go, I listen to my heart, I trust my intuition, I listen with Empathy to others with the intent to understand, and I place my feet firmly down on my own spiritual pathway, the journey which leads me through life with a smile; not a burden of weight placed upon my shoulders by others who want to control my destiny.

Be ‘Mindful’ my dear friends, live your life according to your own destiny, allow yourself the luxury right to enjoy your life to the full, take time out for yourself, connect with your heart and soul through meditation, free your mind from the distractions of modern life, see life as it really is and start enjoying each and every day to the full, see the blueness of the sky or if your sky is grey; see the blueness of the sky up above the clouds, watch the sun rise and set, see the smiles of the children around you , reconnect with your inner child, smile, always smile and breathe….just breathe 🙂